Lynchings in the US in 19th & 20th centurys (2 Viewers)

[Gideon]

When my father was stationed in England with the 8th AF, he helped stop the machine-gunning of black troops by white Americans. NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, can excuse such acts, nor should anyone.

WHAT??????? I've never heard of this happening.

I still see racism frequently. Last instance I saw was a nasty email about the president with a skunk and nasty line about his being a bi-racial child. Came from a "*********" who is a friend of the family.

My wife to be is Jamaican. You can imagine how we felt. That person is no longer a friend of the family.

There is still a lot of racism out there in many different forms. There are still laws on the books which clearly are aimed at inner city black men vs more affluent counterparts in other places. One example is the difference in sentencing for selling crack vs selling cocaine.

I wish there was a way to break this tension. There's always reasons why it flares up like bad economy, stress about this or that. It's a shame that so many people just fold up into themselves and allow hatred and ignorance to dictate their actions. And it happens on both sides. It's not limited to being a white thing. There's plenty African Americans I've come across who treat me with great hostility simply because they want to hang a label on me. Pity.

 

[Peter Reuss]

Let's keep this discussion historical...as soon as we move into the present day we'll be overwhelmed by political conversations...

 

[damian]

Lynchings are what they are, a part of history.

I am sure in some cases they were justified in that they were a simple means of carrying out capital punishment on the convicted at the time, brutal yes, but part of the law of the land. We may not approve of the method, but in many States capital punishment is still the law of the land.

Yes, there were many that were not just also and for many horrible reasons. The South experienced the majority, but there were also an awful lot on the Frontiers and the West. We probably remember more of them from the Outlaw Old West and the "Lynch Mob" mentality of Frontier justice.

To me, it is a part of history, plain and simple.

Sorry but I have to disagree with part of this. There is a world of difference between a true judicial execution and mob justice. The judicial execution must follow a fair trial that follows due process. There are built in appeal mechanisms to try and ensure that justice is truly served and there are mechanisms for various political office bearers to administer clemency. Mob justice by definition circumvents all these processes. So to justify lynching because judicial capital punishment exists is to misunderstand the inherent wrongness of lynch mob justice.

 

[Rob]

I agree. These hideous lynchings were nothing to do with Capital punishment as often they were carried out without a fair trial. However bad the crime the victim of the lynching was accused of he or she was still a human being and deserved better. In the case of Henry smith, a week after his lynching I understand his nephew was lynched for not informing them of his uncles whereabouts, like it or not that was not a capital offence and that young man did not deserve to die.

Rob

 

[Spitfrnd]

Let's keep this discussion historical...as soon as we move into the present day we'll be overwhelmed by political conversations...

Yes the horror.

...There is a world of difference between a true judicial execution and mob justice. The judicial execution must follow a fair trial that follows due process. There are built in appeal mechanisms to try and ensure that justice is truly served and there are mechanisms for various political office bearers to administer clemency. Mob justice by definition circumvents all these processes. So to justify lynching because judicial capital punishment exists is to misunderstand the inherent wrongness of lynch mob justice.

I quite agree Damian subject of course to the condition that the judicial executions are done after a true due process and not a manipulated one.

 

[damian]

Yes the horror.


I quite agree Damian subject of course to the condition that the judicial executions are done after a true due process and not a manipulated one.

I agree entirely but that is a separate discussion which may well overstep our house rules.

 

[Spitfrnd]

I agree entirely but that is a separate discussion which may well overstep our house rules.

Likely so.

 

[Rob]

If there are house rules shouldn't we have a house wine while we talk about the house rules

Rob

 

[Gideon]

Let's keep this discussion historical...as soon as we move into the present day we'll be overwhelmed by political conversations...

I do agree but all things in historic context, racism is still alive and well in this country and many, many others. Wish we could all just get past it.

 

[Mitch]

Gideon...

Sadly, its a fact of life and one we will never eradicate. I laugh when I am in the local indian for a meal and, you get the meatheads abusing the staff and think they are clever but, I know their hopefully peeing in their food for the abuse.

Just have to deal with it as best we can
Mitch

 

[Martin Tabony]

What I always find funny about racists and people that want foreigners out of this country, is the fact that even though my family didn't come over here until after the ACW. I'm white so no one bats an eye but there are many black families that have lived in this country since before the ECW. Plus of course the idiots making their mouths go are often called Mr France or Mr Holland. If more people new the history they'd now that we have had outside cultural influences since before England even had the name. You know what they say though "those that forget history are condemed to repeat it".

Martin

 

[Gideon]

Gideon...

Sadly, its a fact of life and one we will never eradicate. I laugh when I am in the local indian for a meal and, you get the meatheads abusing the staff and think they are clever but, I know their hopefully peeing in their food for the abuse.

Just have to deal with it as best we can
Mitch

On the other side of this, I love food from other countries, I love Indian food and their deserts.

So I go into a large Indian supermarket along Whitehorse Pike in south NJ. I make some selections and the cashier (an older guy) makes me wait to pay and works super extra hard not to make any physical contact with me to the point where he literally throws my change on the counter top and walks away. He was friendly and cordial with everybody else but I just didn't fit in.

Everybody in there was well dressed, well groomed, etc. And there I am in my work clothes, covered in saw dust but not overly dirty or anything.

I get that all the time tho. I really love masala sauce, especially a good homemade tikka masala and I am a sucker for gulab jamon.

Oh well. I can't liking what I like so I just have to roll my eyes and let them know I'm not a threat. But then I'm not of the same class or economic standing and the attitude is the same.

 

[Mitch]

Gideon...

He may just be a bit of a snob and, not racist. I bought my first car dressed rather untidily and was treat rather badly by the sales person at RR until he realised I was serious then it was sir all the way to the till.
Mitch

 

[Rob]

On the other side of this, I love food from other countries, I love Indian food and their deserts.

So I go into a large Indian supermarket along Whitehorse Pike in south NJ. I make some selections and the cashier (an older guy) makes me wait to pay and works super extra hard not to make any physical contact with me to the point where he literally throws my change on the counter top and walks away. He was friendly and cordial with everybody else but I just didn't fit in.

Everybody in there was well dressed, well groomed, etc. And there I am in my work clothes, covered in saw dust but not overly dirty or anything.

I get that all the time tho. I really love masala sauce, especially a good homemade tikka masala and I am a sucker for gulab jamon.

Oh well. I can't liking what I like so I just have to roll my eyes and let them know I'm not a threat. But then I'm not of the same class or economic standing and the attitude is the same.

Couldn't agree more. I love Chinese,Indian, Italian food and American cheesecake. Americans are very friendly and open, Italian and Asian women are beautiful, people in the Carribean laid back and welcoming and Aussies and Scots are honest and funny. Racists don't get to enjoy all this`, they are trapped in their own world , life is too short for all that hatred

Rob

 

[Martin Tabony]

Tikka Masala sauce invented by an Indian immigrant to Scotland in the '60s! because the locals liked the taste but wanted some gravy on the chicken.
Food, I don't care where it comes from, I love it all.

Martin

 

[Gideon]

Tikka Masala sauce invented by an Indian immigrant to Scotland in the '60s! because the locals liked the taste but wanted some gravy on the chicken.
Food, I don't care where it comes from, I love it all.

Martin

And a tomato based sauce from the fruit found in the "New World".

Sigh, if only we could learn to get along as well as foods have.

 

[Jay]

It is estimated that about 5000 blacks were lynched in the US from after the US Civil War to about the late 1930s. NOT 125 years ago, in people's memories. Some could make a clear case that they continued into the 50s and 60s. The most notable case in the last half-century was of a young lad named Emmit Till whose offense was whistling at a white women.
This was considered such an acceptable practice that news papers would print announcements of the upcoming event!
Yes, it was mentioned in schools, but generally without the graphic violence.
And the racism was considerable in the south. During WWII German POW were allowed into places that Black US soldiers were forbidden from entering.
Being through the South recently, it's amazing the integration in restaurants and hotels.
Btw, the song is "Strange Fruit" , not Bitter Fruit, though that would also being an exceptional title.
Anyhow, not a pretty picture of American history. No wonder it's not brought up much.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Only just read this thread.
When I saw Rob's first post I thought "Uh Oh" sensitive subject.
Good to see it has remained civil and some interesting comments made.
Regards
Brett

 

[Mitch]

Nobody had to mention it at all really
Mitch

 

[Cardigan600]

Yo Troopers, watched Glory again last night enjoyed it, but got to thinking what Jay had posted on this, that during the second World War coloured American GIs were still not allowed to eat with the white boys. This is really shocking when you think 80 years previous they fought and died in the ACW. I saw the difference from the other side of the track about 10 years back, went to Graceland's to pay homage to the King, so booked the Howard Johnson on line because it was only a mile from Graceland's. Arrived late at night but did notice a lot on African Americans in the hotel, all the staff were coloured but did not give it a second thought being from the UK we don't have a problem with the ex African people, other races maybe which I wont mention. Anyway gets up early for breakfast and goes to the restaurant, walks in and it was like a scene from a Western everyone stopped eating and looked at us, we were the only whites in the hotel Ooops, so I just says morning everyone, Just total silence not one person replied. The five days we were there never got a word out of any coloured person even in their shops in Memphis. It did spoil the visit somewhat but thought boy have they got a large chip on their shoulders. But when you read this thread you can maybe understand why they had this attitude towards the whites, very sad really when you think about it.
Bernard.